<p><img alt="" src="/media/inline_insight_image/1005366765.jpg"/></p><p><br/></p><p><br/></p><p><br/></p><p><br/></p><p>It is October 1st, the independence day of this great country yet its people celebrate it differently based on where they are on the globe.</p><p><br/></p><p>The Nigerians living in Nigeria celebrate this day by sleeping in, watching that one day series or finally tackling the mountain of mid-week laundry, in other words to them it's a tolerated mid-week Saturday when one is constantly reminded of how the country gets older and its oppressors get bolder.</p><p>Then there are the Nigerians that aren't living in the country. These special breeds of patriots who haven't touched their country's soil but always remember to carry their flags and 2 color face paints to make videos for the socials and themselves.</p><p><br/></p><p>***</p><p> Nigeria @ 66.</p><p>It was evil at 64, it became unbearable at 65 and here we are still bearing at 66.</p><p><br/></p><p> When someone asks me what I hate about Nigeria. It might take a while for me to decide on what I hate. But after the question was given, a few minutes later I saw something that gave me an answer.</p><p> I don't hate the country, I hate the people.</p><p> The fact that we have such a deterioration prone mindset towards a lot of things. It's depressing to watch.</p><p>When you think about it... Nigeria isn't going to get better.</p><p>It's not an insult, nor is it a caption made from a pained POV, it's rather just a depressing and sad fact.</p><p>When you realize that the corruption stems from its grassroots, you'll understand that Tinubu is hardly the problem after all.</p><p>The fact that we can't band together and impeach him after all he's done is proof enough of how retarded some of the people in Nigeria are.</p><p><br/></p><h2>Should one be patriotic under these conditions?</h2><p><strong>Can one be patriotic under these conditions?</strong></p><p>When the price of everything is rising by the month, the rate of insecurity and price of ransom aren't excluded from this either.</p><p><img alt="" src="/media/inline_insight_image/1005367947.jpg"/></p><p>When you look at it, as depressing and as ironic as it is: kidnapping, bandits and terrorism has become a valid economical boom for the people involved.</p><p>When 4 successful catches in a year and the kidnapping group is set for the next 2 years.</p><p><br/></p><p>Yet in Nigeria, almost every week someone is reported kidnapped, molested or something else.</p><p><img alt="" src="/media/inline_insight_image/1005367950.jpg"/></p><p><br/></p><p>One can't be patriotic and as sad as it is, running away isn't helping either because of how our name keeps on infamously leaking.</p><h3><strong>Again, I blame the people.</strong></h3><p>Last month there was news of the Nigerian Visa officer who was engaged in a multi-year visa scam from 2019 to 2026</p><p><br/></p><p><img alt="" src="/media/inline_insight_image/1005367951.jpg"/></p><p>How does a Nigerian after a scandal like this, apply for a job again in Dallas or even apply for a visa to there and hope to get in without extreme overzealous scrutiny?</p><p><br/></p><p>Japa or Stay. There is no right answer, there is definitely no easy answer.</p><p>I plan, I pray and I hope to Japa, not because I'm tired of the country or it's leaders (at least the leaders always find funny shit to do that makes me laugh). </p><p>I pray to Japa cause maybe then I'll be around less Nigerians.</p><p>Because after being here for 21 years and seeing how we always try to cheat, kidnap, defraud, degrade and belittle each other. I can confidently say that we don't hate the country, nor do we hate the leaders, we hate ourselves.</p><p>Happy Independence Day 🇳🇬</p>